Workers' engagement, loyalty drops 9 months before they quit

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Dive Brief:

According to new research from Peakon, workers' engagement and loyalty drop nine months before they quit. In its latest report, Peakon evaluated employee engagement by asking workers about the likelihood that they would recommend their company as a place to work. To assess employee loyalty, it asked respondents about the likelihood that they would stay with their company if offered the same job at another organization.

The findings also showed that people leave their jobs because of unchallenging work, cultures that suppress discussions about compensation, bad managers and lack of opportunities for personal development.

Dive Insight:

Peakon's survey results confirm other studies' findings. For instance, a Harris Poll for Yoh found that disrespectful managers can drive out employees, even if they like their jobs. And research has shown meaningful work can keep employees on board. A 2017 study from Globoforce's WorkHuman Research Institute and IBM's Smarter Workforce Institute concluded that meaningful work was critical to worker happiness. In fact, the study said that meaningful work was the single biggest contributor to employees' positive experience.

As Peakon identified, workplaces that stifle discussions about pay may find themselves in conflict with a growing demand among workers for more pay transparency, especially as it applies to race- and gender-based pay disparities. It's also been revealed that the lack of a clear career path drives workers to leave their jobs for ones at companies offering learning and development opportunities. Organizations that create and maintain a culture of learning can improve their ability to attract and retain talent and earn a greater return on investing in L&D.